"...You... got me a present?"
Rei's eyes fell upon the small box in Asuka's outstretched hand. Nothing particularly fancy, really - just solid burgundy all-around. The choice of color almost evoked Christmas, a fact that clashed mightily with the eighty-degree weather outside.
"Sure I did," confirmed Asuka, sporting an almost artificially-glowing grin. "I mean... why not? The semester starts today, so I figured, hey, why not get you somethin' to... I dunno. Commemorate our friendship, I guess."
Friendship. Friendship... the concept had not been completely foreign to Rei before, despite what some may had believed. She'd had... people she could at least call friends. But were those actual friendships?
Well, she couldn't say she'd ever received a gift from any of those friends. Not until now, at least.
Rei reached across the center console of Asuka's car, gently taking the box into her own hands. Lifting the lid and setting it off to the side, she didn't expect anything too grand - perhaps a friendship bracelet, or one of those half-necklaces that read "BFF" when combined. Then again, Asuka had never been... that unironic.
Yet, what was truly inside surpassed any and all of her expectations - a digital watch. There was a compass, temperature readout, a heart rate monitor... the device's brilliant white hue even matched up with much of Rei's wardrobe.
"Asuka, this is-"
"Wait, wait, hold on! There's something special about this thing I want you to see..."
As Rei quizzically tilted her head, Asuka reached over to direct her attention towards a particular button on the side of the watch. When Rei pushed it, the watch's face sprung open to reveal a hidden compartment inside.
"I, uh... I remembered somethin' you said when you first got here," Asuka continued; perhaps it was merely Rei's imagination, but her cheeks seemed to take on a faint rosy shade as she did. "It was before you went to that musical, and... while we were talkin', you mentioned you had a Key Stone, but nowhere to keep it. So... that's what this little compartment's for."
Rei took a second to rummage through her pocket, delicately pulling out her Key Stone with two fingers and moving it towards the watch. The small stone snapped into position with just the slightest bit of pressure... and once she'd moved the face back down into its rightful place, the watch's screens began to give off a faint, multicolored glow.
Not only did she finally have somewhere to keep her Key Stone, but... it looked stunning.
"...This is wonderful," Rei finally uttered. She looked back up at Asuka, who appeared positively delighted to hear it - and her beaming smile proved infectious. "I cannot possibly thank you enough."
She was almost elated enough to forget how much she was dreading the day ahead.
Asuka was... "relieved" would probably be the best way to describe it. Relieved, of course, that Rei seemed to like her gift - seemed to adore it, even - but also relieved that it seemed to have calmed her nerves even the tiniest bit.
"I mean, hey, I can't thank you enough, either. Summer break turned out way better than I expected... and I know that wouldn't've happened if you weren't around. So... yeah. Dankeschön, Wonde... uh, Rei."
As Rei strapped the watch around her wrist, Asuka turned her attention to the building looming over them. William Bludworth Memorial High School hadn't changed, of course; the same sterile brick facade that she'd gladly left behind back in June was still there, presiding over the student parking lot as a monument to thousands of lost hours she could've spent doing more fulfilling things. Like training. Or playing Football Manager.
Whatever. At least this was her last year, and at least she wasn't spending it alone.
She twisted her key to shut the car off and climbed out, taking a moment to stretch. Rei... took a few seconds longer, but she eventually followed suit. "So, you ready?" Asuka asked, making it a point to maintain her cheerful tone. Rei's gaze shifted from her towards the school, then back. She didn't respond. "...Nervous, huh?"
Rei heaved a sigh as she confirmed Asuka's suspicions with a nod. "It's just that... I've heard so many things about what high school is like here, I've seen plenty of movies about it... and what I've heard... doesn't sound very pleasant."
"Well, like what?" Asuka made her way around the car, approaching Rei and... taking her hand. It took a few seconds for her to even register what she'd done, only realizing upon seeing her friend's face turn roughly the same color as her car. "O-oh, uh... scheiße, sorry, too much?"
Rei contemplated it for a moment. After a few seconds of deliberation, she quietly answered, "Just... not while we're inside. I don't want people, um... g-getting the wrong idea."
"...R-right. Yeah. Could definitely live without people having another stupid rumor to bug me about."
With that, her and Rei began their trek to the school entrance, their hands still joined together. It was only for another minute or two, sure, but... she almost wished it wasn't. Yeah, she really didn't want to start the year off with people pressing her on it every single period, but Rei's skin felt so soft, so comforting, that it'd almost be worth it. "Almost" being the operative word there.
...What were they talking about? Oh, right. "A-anyway, go ahead, ask me about whatever... I'll tell ya if it's bullshit or not."
Asuka was holding her hand. It had happened a few times by now, but it was still such a bizarre sensation... and it seemed so casual this time, too. Like it was second nature for her at this point.
Not that bizarre meant bad, though.
Rei tried her best to tuck those thoughts away in favor of the topic at hand, which was admittedly starting to feel a little less disconcerting. Maybe it was the feeling of Asuka's hand entwined with her own, maybe it was her implication that a good chunk of the things she'd heard about Unovan high school had little to no basis in reality... either way, it didn't seem as daunting.
Still, she had plenty of questions that needed answers. "I suppose I should start with... um... how much of a risk do I run of being shoved in a locker?"
She'd just seen Asuka take a swig from her particularly large energy drink can, and from the looks of it, it seemed as if she was actively fighting to not burn her nose off from laughter. "R-Rei, that's not..." she started, before taking another moment to compose herself. "...That doesn't happen. Not here, anyway... you might get some fuckin' Young Republicans insulting you behind your back, yeah, but nobody's gonna dunk your head into a toilet. And trust me, on the off chance that some Drecksack actually did try that, their skin'd be bubbling more than... well, this drink."
"Well, that's... reassuring, I suppose. What are the students here like, then?"
A half-chuckle escaped Asuka's throat. "At Bludworth? Lot of annoying rich kids, I'll tell ya that much. I guess that's one of the few good things I can say about this place, it's at least well-funded... but aside from that, it sucks. Basically, people either kiss your ass for their own benefit or just completely ignore you. Depends how much money your family's got, really."
Asuka's words immediately struck Rei as familiar. "I assume that's why you've said I'm your... only 'real' friend."
"Pretty much, yeah... and again, it's even worse in my case 'cause I'm not just the faildaughter of some business exec, people actually know who I am. I wasn't kidding back when I compared myself to a designer handbag."
"...I think a designer handbag would be a significantly worse Pokemon trainer, if it's any consolation."
This time, Asuka couldn't hold back her laughter - and hearing it served to help improve Rei's mood a little more. "Shit, Rei, can't believe you actually got me with that one... a-anyway, way I'd put it is, don't expect the worst out of people, but don't expect the best, either. People'll spread rumors, they'll find the most vapid shit to make fun of you for, but it's not... that bad."
"...Makes sense, I suppose. Though, to be fair, rumors get spread around all the time back home, too... several people at my school believe I am a vampire."
Asuka seemed utterly blindsided by this information... not that Rei blamed her. "Wait... h-hold on, wait, like. Legitimately?"
"Entirely serious."
"Mein Gott, that's fucking stupid."
"Very much so." It was, and she knew that, but it still got to her. Whether she be called a vampire, an alien, a robot... it all boiled down to the same thing. She was weird. Strange. Other.
Maybe it wouldn't be as bad here. Maybe it would be even worse. She really didn't want to think about it.
If nothing else, she had Asuka.
As the two stepped through the propped-open doors into the school's main lobby, Rei briefly squeezed Asuka's hand just a bit tighter before reluctantly letting go. Looking around, the first thing that struck her was just how large it was - the ceiling had to be, at the very least, thirty feet high. The complete absence of shoe lockers still struck her as odd, too, even though she knew uniforms weren't really a thing in Unova - after all, the cargo pants she was wearing really wouldn't have flown back home.
"Is it... usually this crowded out here?" she asked Asuka, gesturing towards the dozens... scratch that, hundreds of other students gathered around the lobby, mostly in groups of four or five. All eagerly conversing amongst themselves. Loudly.
Asuka shook her head. "Not really... yeah, people congregate here before the first bell, but it's pretty dead after that. Plus, today's the first day, so everyone's catching up with-"
"Oh, hey, Asuka, there you are!" Rei turned in the direction of the foreign voice, her eyes falling upon a blonde girl clad in a pink, Victini-adorned crop top that definitely wouldn't have flown back home. "So how was your summer? Saw you won the Monotype Shootout, so at least pretty good, yeah?"
"Y-yeah, I'd say so," Asuka replied, quite obviously not as excited to see... whoever this girl was as she was to see her. "Spent most of it hanging out with Rei, so yeah, can't complain... uh, Rei, this is Ashley."
Ashley... she wasn't the type to judge people by first impressions, but to Rei, she seemed a bit... overbearing. Regardless, she put on the least sheepish-looking smile she could muster and gave a small wave. "My name's Rei Ayanami... I-I'm an exchange student from Sinnoh."
"Oh, wow, that far? I hope you've been, like... adjusting well, y'know?" Ashley's attention then immediately turned back to Asuka, much to Rei's lack of surprise. "So hey, Asuka, Ashlyn and I were gonna go to the tanning salon after school, and we were wondering if-"
"Es tut mir Leid, I can't... I've gotta go pick Dad's car up from the dealership for him later."
"Aww, that sucks... alright, well, you've got my number if you ever wanna hang out. Guess I'll see you at lunch, then!" Ashley promptly disappeared into the sea of students, completely oblivious to the lie Asuka had just fed her.
"...Why would you tell her that?" Rei questioned, following Asuka's lead as she sat down on the steps leading to what she assumed was the auditorium.
"Because I hate tanning salons. Don't know about you, but I'd really prefer not to voluntarily expose myself to something that could give me fuckin' skin cancer. Waste of time and money."
"...Makes sense." Plus, Rei couldn't shake the feeling that Ashley was one of those, um, "ass-kisser" types Asuka had been talking about. Maybe lying was just her way of letting her down gently.
The sound of rustling papers made her turn towards the redhead, who was rummaging through her backpack for something. That something eventually turned out to be two sheets of yellow paper, Rei barely managing to make out the word "schedule" on one of them. "Oh, that reminds me... I've heard that you change classrooms between periods here, but do you stay with the same class, or...?"
"Nope, different class for each period," Asuka answered, appearing rather unenthused at the content printed on those sheets. "...Blutige Hölle."
"Hm? What is it?"
Asuka pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Okay, so, we do this thing called A- and B-days where you've got different classes on alternating days, right? Yeah, turns out, I completely forgot... 'sides lunch, only fuckin' class we share on A-days is gym."
...Oh. "T-they... they didn't give us the same classes?"
"That'd require the people in charge of scheduling to actually know what they're doing, so no. L-look, at least our B-day schedules are mostly the same, so tomorrow we'll mostly have the same-"
A jarring sequence of three beeps played over the PA system cut Asuka short, and the swarm of students surrounding the two immediately began to disperse down the halls. A part of Rei's mind wondered why the bell in this school sounded like... that... but she was far more occupied with the realization that, at least for the first few hours of the day... she'd be alone.
Apparently, she wasn't being subtle about it, either, as Asuka reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Rei, look at me." She did. "It'll be alright, okay? If anyone tries givin' you shit, just ignore 'em... and tell me later, I'll deal with it."
"...R-right."
"Alright... well, I've got Galarian literature for first period, so I've gotta get over there." Asuka handed Rei her schedule and even went so far as to pull her in for a quick hug before standing up. "See you in gym, alright? Bis später!"
Rei watched as Asuka, too, vanished down one of the halls. She looked down at the crumpled paper in her hand... she had geography class in room 242, and a quick glance at her watch confirmed she had three minutes to get there.
She took a deep breath, rose to her feet, and began making her way towards the 200 hall.
The first thing she'd done upon entering the classroom was introduce herself. She hadn't necessarily intended to, but her teacher had asked, and... well, she wanted to make a good first impression, at the very least.
She'd kept it brief - her name was Rei Ayanami, and she was an exchange student from Sinnoh. Her tone had been... warm by her standards, anyway. A part of her must've thought forcing a smile onto her face and putting up a friendly facade would at least make her appear "normal" to her classmates - whatever the definition of that even was.
It didn't really work.
She'd begun to hear chattering among them before she'd even reached her seat... quiet enough for her to not fully pick up on what they were saying, but a few words did stick out to her. Red, presumably referring to her eyes. Ghost - definitely about her skin. More than one person had uttered the word "vampire."
She was ten thousand kilometers from home, and nothing had changed.
It had been... twenty minutes since then? Thirty? It was hard to tell - there was no clock in this classroom, and the time since she'd introduced herself had been almost entirely filled by one long lecture about Unovan state borders. No overview of what they'd be doing over the semester or anything... it was as if she'd entered a theater a third of the way through the film.
"Hey, are... are you alright?"
Her attention immediately turned towards the direction of the voice... which turned out to belong to the boy sitting at the desk to her right. She had to do a double take as she realized he was wearing pajama pants. You can just... do that here?
"I-I'm fine, yes," she stammered, making a mental note to maintain eye contact. "What... made you think otherwise?"
"Well, 'cause you ain't said a word since then. You've looked completely spaced out all class."
"I've been focusing on the lesson." She'd been trying to, anyway. "Is that an issue?"
The boy shook his head. "Nah, I get it... makes sense you wouldn't want to talk. You probably don't speak English much, right?"
A pang of resentment immediately sprung up inside of her. "I speak English just fine," she hissed back. "I haven't been talking because I haven't seen a reason to."
"Whoa, calm down, I ain't mad at ya... just asking, alright?" It was around that point that Rei picked up on the growing smirk across his face. Prodding her like this... amused him, didn't it?
If that was all he wanted out of her, there was no point in wasting her energy.
He continued talking to her for a little while longer. Rei thought she might have heard him ask her something about anime, but the words faded from her mind within seconds - not that they were worth keeping in there.
Eventually, he finally gave up, at least for the moment... yet, there wasn't much in the way of relief. This was exactly how she'd feared she'd be treated, and it was happening in her very first class.
She couldn't help but assume that, without Asuka by her side, it wouldn't be the last time, either. Maybe she was the weird one. After all, it seemed to be obvious to everyone.
Asuka still wasn't entirely sure if she needed to be here.
What else did she have left to do, anyway? It would be harder to find a class she was taking that wasn't college-level material instead of the other way around... and on top of that, had nobody seen her tournament results over the past year? What point was there in sticking around for one more semester, even if it was only one more semester?
...Well, had she graduated back in June, she'd have never met Rei. Guess three more months here is worth not being dead, then.
From her perch near the top of the rolled-out crimson bleachers, Asuka spotted that familiar bob of steel-blue hair among the mass of students filing into the gymnasium. At least the powers that be were courteous enough to give them one class together on A-days. "Rei! Hier oben!" she enthusiastically called out, easily catching her friend's - and about twenty other peoples' - attention.
Just a few seconds later, Rei sat down right beside her, sporting an expression that sat squarely in the middle of relief and embarrassment. "...Did you... have to do that so loudly?"
Asuka looked down at the class below - indeed, some of them were still staring wide-eyed up towards the two, as if her openly enjoying someone's company were a sight rarer than Reshiram itself. Then again, it could've just as easily been bewilderment that Rei had a friend, which... kind of made her fear how her first couple of classes had gone.
"S-sorry, not really... just... happy to see you, y'know?" She dug into her backpack, procuring a pair of sodas and offering one to Rei. "So... how's your day been? Tolerable, I hope...?"
Rei glanced down at the drinks... she hesitated for a moment, but eventually took one. It wasn't until she'd downed two sips that she responded. "...It's gone more or less how I'd expected so far."
"...Poorly, then?"
"Mhm." Rei looked like she was at least making an effort not to let it show, but... as much as Asuka hated to admit, it absolutely was not working. "I... don't understand why it has to be like this. What do they gain out of it?"
"Nothin' but a dose of smug self-satisfaction," Asuka quipped. "Sometimes there's nothing to understand, Rei. Some people - a lot of people - don't really have a motive for fuckin' with you. They're just assholes... they do it because they think it's funny."
Rei turned to face her again, mystified by her response. "It can't be that simple."
"That's what I used to think, too... didn't think people were really that two-dimensional. But hey, at least there's two of us that ain't made of cardboard, huh?"
"...That is true."
Asuka held her drink out, bumping the plastic bottle against Rei's in something vaguely resembling a toast - which, thankfully, proved to be what brought a smile back to her friend's face. Rei promptly finished off the last of her drink, setting the bottle down at her feet as her attention turned to the gymnasium floor. "The teacher's here... that reminds me, do we... not have gym uniforms?"
"Not over here, thank Christ... you're gonna have to bring some gym clothes eventually, but not today. Today's, uh... different."
Rei quirked an eyebrow. "How do you mean...?"
"Well, for the first, uh..." Actually, on second thought, Coach did love to hype this up every year, so Asuka figured she'd spare Rei the redundancy. "...well, he'll explain it in a sec."
Indeed, the man down below sporting a maroon tracksuit and a hairline that just wouldn't quit promptly began to address the class. Loudly. "Alright, it's nice to see all of you again - well, most of you, anyway. I'm Coach Wojciechowski, I'm gonna be your gym teacher, and, well... I'm sure we're all mostly aware of what's in store today, but we've got a couple new Devils here, so we're gonna go over it real quick, alright?"
A few of their classmates were excited, but the majority - Asuka included - really just wanted him to get the point already. Rei held neither of these opinions. "...Devils...?"
"Yeah, our sports teams are called the Devils," answered Asuka, twirling her hair. "That's why everything around here's red and black."
"I see... but... wouldn't that be an issue? At least, going off what I know about religious attitudes here..."
"Actually, if you can believe it, our old mascot from back before I even went here was way worse." In fact, she was still stunned they'd gotten away with it for that long. "...Uh, don't ask me what it was, 'cause I don't wanna say that word."
"...I think I can figure it out from the information provided."
A brief pause ensued, as Rei seemed to realize just how sidetracked they'd gotten at exactly the same time as Asuka. "...So... what are we doing today? I, um... missed what he said."
"Well, most of us aren't really doing anything... every year, Coach puts on an exhibition match between the two best trainers in each class on the first day. Which, of course, means that-"
"Miss Soryu!" Coach bellowed, turning everyone's attention towards her - and by extension, Rei, who looked exceedingly uncomfortable with this development. "You're up for it, right?"
...No. No, she wasn't.
"Coach, there's... what's the point?" she shot back, rising to her feet. "I've done this stupid thing three times already! Why would I waste my Pokemon's energy on a fourth when I have nothing left to prove?"
She'd done enough for them, hadn't she? Not since Elesa herself had Bludworth boasted a trainer with Asuka's track record... so why couldn't they just leave her alone?
"...Alright, I suppose that's fair." A wave of relief washed over her as Coach relented... one that immediately dried up upon hearing him continue. "Then how about... Ayanami, was it? Welcome to Bludworth, by the way - last I heard, you've completed Sinnoh's gym challenge, haven't you?"
It would figure that without herself in the picture, the spotlight would immediately fall on Rei - "new exchange student" on its own was a hell of an attention-grabber, and Rei was a damn capable trainer in her own right. Thing was, from what Asuka could gather, she'd been a nervous wreck all day - the last thing that needed to happen was her bottling it in front of half the senior class.
Rei still clearly wasn't a fan of having the entire class's eyes on her, but from the looks of things, she was genuinely deliberating the idea. "Hey, don't feel like you've gotta take 'em up on it just because," reassured Asuka, putting an arm around her friend's shoulder. "It's nothing important at all."
"I guess, but... I do feel like it would help me, proving myself as a capable trainer. People here... seem to value that a lot, from what I've heard today."
"Wirklich? Well, I mean... I'm not gonna stop you if that's what you wanna do. Go for it."
"...I think I will."
Most of her classmates whose eyes she'd met looked utterly dumbfounded. Her, Rei Ayanami, this brand-new exchange student who made a Cofagrigus look outgoing, was willingly stepping into the spotlight. Rei herself wasn't even sure what, exactly, compelled her to actually take this opportunity.
Anything to seem normal, she supposed.
Coach... how was it pronounced again? Waj... vwah... Coach Woj. That would suffice. Coach Woj seemed pleasantly surprised himself. "Alright, Ms. Ayanami will be taking the north end of the battlefield!" he announced, far more vigor in his voice than an exhibition battle between two high schoolers should've warranted. "Now, who'll you be facing...? Anyone up for it?"
One boy would answer the call, rising from his seat and heading down to join Rei and Coach Woj. "Hey, why not, right? Ain't had anything competitive in a bit, could use the warm-up." He held out his hand towards her, introducing himself. "Dezmond Brooks, nice meetin' ya... you Asuka's friend?"
"...I am, yes." She was surprised by how comfortable she felt accepting his handshake... it was difficult to piece together, but out of everyone who'd engaged with her today, Dezmond was the only one who seemed... genuinely interested in her. Interested beyond mere morbid curiosity, anyway... it was a warmth she had trouble describing. "You know her?"
"I mean, we've been battling each other since the fourth grade, so I'd say so. Heard you're pretty close to her level, too, goin' off what she's taught me... let's put on a show, yeah?"
"Of course." Asuka was really that confident in her battling abilities? So much so that she'd... go out of her way to talk her up? Rei had never fancied herself anything more than "pretty good."
...She could feel her face heating up again. This was something she could ponder later. Turning back to Coach Woj alongside Dezmond, Rei asked, "So... what are the rules?"
"Pretty simple, really - it's nothin' too fancy, just a 2-on-2 single battle. Only catch is that you've gotta use two Pokemon of the same type, and you both have to send in your leads at the same time."
Sounded simple enough, even if Rei wasn't entirely sure why she kept finding herself in the midst of monotype battles. "Understood. Then, shall we...?"
Her voice trailed off, only now realizing something was missing - there was no battlefield.
In fact, it didn't seem like Coach Woj had realized himself until that moment, either. "Huh? Oh... the battlefield, of course. Just a moment, heh..." He fished out a small remote from the pocket of his jacket, and with a single button press, a loud whirring noise began to echo throughout the gymnasium. The maple basketball court taking up the vast majority of floor space slowly started opening up at the division line. When both halves of the court had fully retracted, a sandy battlefield stood before them, sporting the same traditional Unova League markings Rei had seen at Striaton Stadium.
...Impressive. It definitely beat out what her school back home had to offer, which was more or less just battling on the football pitch until they had to resod the whole thing. Multiple times.
Dezmond had started off towards one of the trainer's boxes, so Rei followed suit, mulling over her lead options as she took her place across the battlefield from her... acquaintance. Acquaintance would do.
First of all, a dual-type was an absolute necessity - she needed to give herself options. That unfortunately meant Zee was off the table, as while Ditto was a purple blob of many talents, their success rate in proper battles had been very spotty in the past. Really, it boiled down to whatever left her with the fewest weaknesses overall.
It also didn't help that the question of what type Dezmond specialized in was a total question mark. If he even did specialize in one.
By the time Rei reached her box, she'd made her decision; gripping the Dusk Ball in her hand, she stared down Dezmond across the battlefield. "Both of you ready?" Coach Woj called out, taking his spot on the referee's podium.
Dezmond certainly seemed so. "Been ready since I got up this morning," he confirmed, flashing Rei a grin. She was too focused on the forthcoming battle to even register if she reciprocated with one of her own.
"Alright! Three, two, one... draw!"
Both balls hit the sand within milliseconds of each other, bursting open to reveal each trainer's first choice. Immediately, it dawned on Rei that she'd made a huge mistake.
Rotom against Camerupt. The matchup didn't sound horrible on paper... yes, Electric moves were a non-starter, but not only was the phantom unfazed by Camerupt's earth-shaking attacks in return, they very well may have had the upper hand depending on whatever household object they'd decided to take for a joyride.
They'd just so happened to choose Mr. Langley's lawnmower at the worst time.
Whether Dezmond was a Fire or Ground specialist didn't matter at this point - either way, she'd found herself in a uniquely terrible situation. That was still no justification for backing out now, though... after all, battles were never won on paper.
"Rotom, throw up a substitute and Nasty Plot." With Thunderbolt and especially Volt Switch out of the picture, their options were limited... and when her options were limited, Rei found that sheer destructive power tended to work wonders. Rotom pulled back, manifesting a remarkably accurate body double where they'd floated, and began to focus their power - which happened to be just quick enough to intercept the Yawn that Camerupt had led off with.
That was one break that had gone their way, at least. They still needed more. A lot more.
Dezmond wasn't about to give her any room to breathe - Camerupt came rushing towards Rei's end of the field with a Flame Charge, stampeding the substitute out of existence and very nearly plowing into Rotom themself as well. "Shadow Ball." The command left her lips quick enough for Rotom to fire the attack off, but too late for the phantom to avoid Camerupt's second Flame Charge, leading to a shroud of shadowy smoke enveloping the battlefield.
This time, no command was needed - Rotom's Defog quickly cleared the smoke, accompanied by a lovely melody of coughing and hacking from Coach Woj. The scene Rei found herself gazing upon, however, couldn't have been less ideal. Both Pokemon were feeling the effects of each other's attacks, but even after Rotom's Nasty Plot, they were in significantly worse shape than Camerupt... who aggressively exhaled another puff of smoke from their nostrils, primed for a devastating follow-up strike.
The Dezmond that had introduced himself to Rei mere minutes prior had practically vanished, overcome by a competitive intensity she'd only ever seen Asuka match. "Lava Plume, let's go!" she heard him bellow from across the battlefield. She wasn't putting a stop to that, not with Rotom in their current state... but she wasn't about to do nothing, either.
"Leaf Storm." At one end of the field, the volcanic humps on Camerupt's back erupted, spouting twin jets of molten lava aimed squarely at Rotom; at the other, Rotom's engine roared to life as the phantom responded in kind with a swirling vortex of razor-sharp leaves.
Both Pokemon were so focused on getting their attacks off, the idea of dodging hadn't seemed to cross either one's mind - just as the spout of magma came cascading down upon Rotom, Camerupt was blown back by the force of their Leaf Storm. Yet, after a few tense moments spent awaiting the outcome... Camerupt rose to their hooves. Rotom remained lying on the sand in a heap.
"Alright! Camerupt takes out Rotom to put Dezmond up 2-1!" Coach Woj exclaimed, waving his red flag towards Rei's side of the field.
...Figures as much.
Shaking her head, Rei recalled Rotom to their ball and gently placed it back into her bag. From here, things would be more or less a formality - her only other option was Magnezone, and asking them to finish off a Pokemon packing their two biggest weaknesses, then win another unfavorable matchup straight-up was a massive ask. Beyond that, she didn't possess any...
...Wait. She peered back into her bag, digging through it, and retrieved a ball that... wasn't Magnezone's... from the very bottom. Her heartbeat quickened as she gripped it in her hands, eyes darting between it, the battlefield, and Asuka up in the bleachers.
Even if I can... is it worth it...?
She held the ball up to Coach Woj. "Coach... for the sake of this battle, would you still consider Rotom a Ghost-type?"
"Mm... I mean, I'd be alright with it, but it's really up to Dez," he responded, turning to face Dezmond. "Would that be-"
"Yeah, I'm cool with that... I mean, it's all I've ever seen 'em called."
His answer came almost too quickly. Given the confidence with which he accepted, Rei fully expected she'd be faced with another bad matchup - in fact, it would be stranger if she wasn't. By this point, though, her mind was made up - whatever awaited her down this path beat out the inevitable catastrophe that was Magnezone against two Ground-types.
After a moment to collect her thoughts and reassure herself one more time that this was the correct play, Rei hurled the Dusk Ball onto the battlefield. "Banette... do what you must."
No commands were necessary; the moment the ball sprung open, the shadow puppet that had been stowed inside locked eyes with Dezmond's Camerupt and aggressively charged ahead. It was a reckless first move, to be sure, but not one that her opponent expected. He scrambled to call for an attack of his own to intercept Banette, but just as Camerupt reared up onto their hind legs for what would have ended up as a devastating Earthquake, Banette struck the hulking Fire-type square in the jaw to very nearly send them toppling onto their back.
"Perfect - now, Swords Dance directly into a Shadow Claw." As Camerupt struggled to get to their hooves, Banette fell back to midfield and commenced with her interpretation of a Swords Dance - violent, frenetic slashing at the air with any pretense of rhythm or choreography thrown out the window. Bizarre as it may have seemed to the uninformed spectator (and Rei did overhear more than one of her classmates question its effectiveness), her technique got results, and there was no reason to believe it wouldn't here.
Banette abruptly lunged ahead mid-dance, an otherworldly aura overtaking her right limb; formless at first, it soon took the shape of terrifyingly long claws, carving lines into the sand as the Ghost-type dragged them across the battlefield until reaching Camerupt. Far from the most agile Pokemon in the world, the still-reeling camel's elimination was a foregone conclusion even before Banette slashed those claws across their face.
Several students gasped, and even Dezmond visibly cringed as Camerupt crashed down onto the sand. Rei couldn't parse exactly why, as this was nothing unusual. Hundreds of Pokemon before had gone down to Banette in the exact same fashion. Everything had gone exactly as intended - Sucker Punch straight out of the ball, Swords Dance, Shadow Claw to finish.
She had Banette under control, and Banette had the upper hand. That was what was important.
After a noticeably long silence, Coach Woj chimed in far less boisterously, waving his flag towards Dezmond and Camerupt. "Banette evens the score, and from here on out, it's a pure 1-on-1 showdown... whenever you're ready, Dez."
As she awaited Dezmond's second choice, Rei glanced over towards the bleachers, and specifically towards Asuka. It wasn't easy to tell from this far away, but the one thing that her expression clearly conveyed was concern. It dawned on Rei that this was not only her first glimpse of Banette in battle... this was the first time Asuka had seen Banette at all.
Rei's eyes then fell upon her watch. The iridescent glow from before had grown brighter. Significantly brighter.
That wasn't important now. Winning this battle was.
Just as her focus returned to the battlefield, Dezmond's Ultra Ball left his hand; when it landed on the sand, the Pokemon emerging from its brilliant flash of light dashed just about any hopes Rei had of that happening.
The moment his Krookodile hit the battlefield, Rei's mind instantly flashed back to Striaton - Asuka may have beaten Clay decisively in the quarterfinals, but she vividly recalled his own Krookodile relentlessly tearing through his first-round opponent's team. The stories about their jaws being strong enough to crush cars and snap clean through iron fences were something she absolutely bought. If Dezmond was anywhere near the level of trainer Asuka was, she was fully expecting Banette to be ripped apart in a matter of seconds.
Banette, for her part, just... stared at Krookodile. Unflinchingly. Her adversary seemed amused by this, slowly creeping towards the Ghost-type with their jaw hung open, exposing several dozen teeth sharp enough for an iron maiden.
"Banette," began Rei, trying her absolute hardest to maintain her composure, "I know this might not be ideal, but you need to work with me. You have Trailblaze. Get a couple of hits in, keep your distance otherwise, and we'll go from there."
Just as Krookodile's menacing approach increased pace, Banette charged straight at them, dragging both arms through the sand beneath her - and leaving twin trails of vibrant tall grass in her wake. When they met at midfield, it was Banette who wildly swung one arm into the Dark-type's throat, clubbing them in the side of the head with the other to knock them to the ground. Immediately, she mounted the back of Krookodile's neck, delivering repeated blows to the head with alternating arms.
Instead of relenting as Krookodile's attempts to escape the barrage grew impotent, Banette's offense grew even more violent; eventually, the phantom abandoned the super-effective strikes in favor of oh god my head feels like it's being split in half repeatedly slamming her own head into the back of Krookodile's skull.
Murmurs from Rei's classmates soon turned into an uproarious commotion as banette please stop my head is going to explode Banette continued to wail on Krookodile, eventually coming to a point where I'm going to have a heart attack I'm going to have a heart attack she began slashing at them with Shadow Claws in defiance of her victimopponent's Ghost resistance somebody stop this please wave the flag and stop this someone is going to die please-
"BANETTE! END THIS NOW!" IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HUR
Never did Asuka think she'd see Rei like this - on her knees, clutching her head... screaming. Rei never screamed. She hardly ever raised her voice. The scene unfolding on the gymnasium floor was unthinkable.
Briefly, she looked over at the battlefield, somehow thinking that'd be any easier to watch. Her attention turned back towards Rei within seconds... and as she tried (and failed miserably) to block out the panicked cacophony swirling around her, the harsh glow emanating from the watch she'd given her instantly caught her eye.
She would've had to have been an idiot to not realize what was going on.
What's going on? What happened? Please tell me what happened. How long has it been? Am I okay? Are you okay? What...
"...What's going on...?"
Rei lifted her head, her eyes meeting Asuka's (wasn't she in the bleachers?) once she did; it took a bit longer for her to register the feeling of her friend's hand resting upon her shoulder. Catching a glimpse of maroon in her peripheral vision, she looked up to see Coach Woj standing above her, with Dezmond by his side. Both appeared equally as concerned as Asuka. "Is... is everybody okay?"
She soon realized that aside from the four of them, the gymnasium was deserted.
"All of us are fine, Rei," Coach Woj answered, joining Asuka in kneeling down beside her. "We just wanna make sure that you are... and don't worry, Banette's in their ball."
"Yeah, and Krook's gonna be fine," added Dezmond. "He's seen worse, trust me."
Banette. Krook... Krookodile? Banette and Krookodile. Rei wracked her still-pounding brain trying to remember the details... she knew they were battling. She knew it was Banette and Krookodile out on the field.
Only when she spotted the circle of deep red sand on that battlefield did it finally dawn on her what happened.
She began trembling uncontrollably; even Asuka pulling her into a tight embrace did little to calm it. "Dezmond... I... I'm so sorry," she choked out, tears beginning to blur her vision.
"Rei, mach dir keine Sorgen... r-really, it's... it's my fault, I shouldn't have backed out." Asuka let go, offering her hand to Rei; when she accepted it, the redhead helped her to her feet. "I'm just happy you're okay."
Nothing about what had happened felt okay. Rei certainly didn't feel okay, her heart pounding and breath shaky... but at the very least, she was still here. Asuka was still here... Dezmond, Krookodile, Coach Woj...
"Rei, listen," the coach interjected, mustering up the most soothing tone he could, "we're going to let you and Asuka out early today, okay? Go home and rest - I'm sure you'll feel much better by tomorrow."
If you say so. "...Thank you, Coach."
Once Asuka handed it to her, Rei weakly slung her bag over her shoulder, and the two exited the gymnasium together. Several of their classmates still lingered in the hall just outside, watching them - more specifically, watching Rei - as they headed for the student parking lot. None dared to say a single word.
That she'd already been singled out as strange was bad enough. Now, Rei was the absolute last thing she wanted to be - feared.